PC: Lavi

[sootprints]

Comments

[sootprints]

[ she's just sitting here in her bubble.

in tattered rags stained in red and black. but otherwise, serene. she lifts her head just a little to face him. ]

Lavi.

[bookpapers]

[he takes in her attire, does she still have horns and wings]

What happened?

[sootprints]

Your plan was very good. I was not able to kill anyone last night.

[ she has horns and wings! they're not all crazy and smoky right now. the wings are neatly folded behind her. ]

[bookpapers]

Then why -- [...] why did you go to the church? Did you change when you got there? Or were you like this since the morning?

[sootprints]

I went looking for him. I wanted to tell him...

[ ... there's a feeling of something cracking a little. ]

We couldn't talk outside, so we went into the nearest building.

[bookpapers]

-- Went into? He was still alive?

[the sudden surge of grief when Kate says this is palpable and also the shock at hearing this -- but he tries to keep himself calm]

And then what happened?

1/2

[sootprints]

I told him that it worked. That everyone's plan worked. We succeeded in preventing a death, because I finally put my trust in other people...

[ those cracks keep coming. little blips of other emotions. until... ]

[sootprints]

[ ... the floodgates open. there's regret. sorrow. horror. ]

And then... and I...

[bookpapers]

[there is so much fear -- it just keeps climbing, and also horror -- magnified when Kate mentions the word 'trust'.

he thinks of scien mentioning how breaking people's trust is what kate is afraid of most]

...Did the succubus take over?

Kate. Did it kill him?

[sootprints]

[ ...

there's a miserable, smoky nod. ]

[bookpapers]

[...

Lavi just. sits down on the grass in front of her bubble, pulled down by the weight of his horror and crushing confirmation, and then -- grief. at having tried and then this -- and Kate, who had to kill Scien of all people -- ]

...Why did this happen?

[sootprints]

I... I don't know.

Maybe I was just fooling myself... thinking that I could be anything but a monster.

[bookpapers]

...You told me the truth.

Even though you knew I could have hurt you, or refused to help you with your wish. A monster would have lied to me.

[sootprints]

Lavi...

[ amidst the grief, a small glimmer of warmth. affection. ]

... I don't know what's going to happen. But if this is the end for me, I don't want you to go down with me. You understand, right?

[bookpapers]

[he attempts a smile, even though his grief is still obvious.]

...Yeah. I understand.

[he tried like an idiot last week at the last second. he knows he should be fresh out.]

You got more letters. ...I'll bring 'em to you.

[sootprints]

Oh. [ ... ] I'd like to see them.

[bookpapers]

[he'll nod and leave to get them for her, though he eyes the bubble Kate is wrapped in....

he'll carefully press the letters against them,]

Can you read them?

[sootprints]

[ she'll come press her hands against the bubble to bring herself as close as possible. ]

Y, yes! I can.

... So it's Karlach and Rondo... [ fondness. ] It sounds like they had a party, too.

[ her mood lightens a little upon reading them... or maybe it's also because of lavi, awkwardly holding them up for her. or both. ]

[bookpapers]

[the way Lavi is probably half-kneeling to do this since KATE IS SO SMALL]

Yeah? I wish we could see them too.

[why do the dead only get to voyeur....]

I bet that crowd gets real hectic during parties.

[sootprints]

I think so, too. A lot of them don't even need an occasion to start acting rowdy.

[ fond... ]